What we do
SapoCycle turns discarded hotel soaps into life-saving products. We are a non-profit organisation that collects discarded soaps in European hotels, reprocesses them and distributes the recycled soaps to improve sanitary conditions of children and families in need. People with disabilities are in charge of the soap recycling, which allows them to work in a stable environment.
We coordinate the soap collection
Once the hotels have joined our programme, we provide them with instructions and marketing tools. The hotels collect the used soaps. In Switzerland the soaps are then picked up by our partner Planzer. In France the hotels send the collected soaps directly to the recycling workshops.
We manage the soap recycling process
For the recycling of the soaps we partner with Wohnwerk (Basel, Switzerland) and Adapei Papillons Blancs (Alsace, France), two institutions that provide employment to people with disabilities. They are in charge of grating, grounding, and turning used soaps into new hygienic soap bars under a strict bacteriological control.
We organize the distribution with our partners
Our distribution partners work to improve health and hygiene in developing countries as well as deliver toiletries to families in need in France, Switzerland and abroad. They provide us regularly with feedback of the impact of the distribution.
Handwashing with soap removes germs.
Every year, 1.4 million children are dying from largely preventable diseases like pneumonia and diarrhoea. Handwashing with soap before meals and after toilet use has been shown to reduce diarrhoeal infections by 40 percent (Source UNICEF).
HANDWASHING WITH SOAP is an easy, effective and affordable do-it-yourself protection that prevents infections and saves lives. Around the globe, millions of used hotel soaps are discarded everyday and sent off to landfill sites, creating an increasing environmental problem. With these two big challenges in mind, we committed ourselves to making a significant and sustainable contribution with our BUBBLES SAVING LIVES program.
The 3 Pillars of the SapoCycle Program:
Environmental
The recycling of used hotels soaps reduces the CO2 emissions of 90% compared to burning it with waste ((Source: Study by FHNW Switzerland 2016)).
Social Integration
Together with the recycling workshops we support people with disabilities to have a stable workplace and find a legitimate place in the economy.
Humanitarian Action
We facilitate access to soap for families in need in Europe and other parts of the world and thus help them to improve their health.
Who we are
SapoCycle was founded by Dorothée Schiesser-Peyrouzet. Dual Swiss-French citizen, with a political sciences and management degree, she lived with her husband in Cameroon, where she has been sensitized to diseases related to lack of hygiene. SapoCycle started in 2014 in Switzerland. In 2016 the Fondation SapoCycle was nominated for the Swiss Tourism Award. In March 2018, the Association SapoCycle France was created in Mulhouse, France, by seven founding members including the Fondation SapoCycle.
The Fondation SapoCycle is a non-profit organization under the umbrella of the Fondation des Fondateurs. Our missions is made possible by our strong partnership with the hospitality industry, the institutions for people with disabilities, and with distribution organisations.
We are a committed and skilled team that strongly believes that the BUBBLES SAVING LIVES program can make a meaningful contribution both to the planet and the society.
Advisory Board Fondation SapoCycle (CH)
Cintia Jaime
Social entrepreneur, Founder and Executive Manager of Es Vicis
Bertrand Jungo
Member of the Board Admeira AG and Galenica AG
Rudolph Schiesser
Hotelier, President of the Board of Grand Hotel des Trois Rois, Basel, President of the Board of Villa Orselina, Locarno
Dorothée Schiesser
Social entrepreneur, Founder and President of SapoCycle
Board Association SapoCycle France
Dorothée Schiesser
Social entrepreneur, President and Secretary
Carmen Paolone
Professional manager in non-profit, trainer and consultant. Treasurer
Fondation SapoCycle
Management
Ingrid Lins-Lang
Project Manager SapoCycle France
Constanza Radavero
Communication Manager Global, Project Manager Switzerland
Volunteers
Cécile Tardy – Srinivasan
Administration and strategy
Amanda Warshaw
Development in France
Noële Auclair-Riva
Chemical Engineer
Key milestones
- The Swiss Fondation SapoCycle was founded in September 2014
- Go-Live and first recycled soaps in Basel (CH) in April 2015
- First distribution of recycled soaps in Cameroon and Belorussian in February 2016
- French hotels start to collect soaps for SapoCycle in February 2017
- March 2018: The Association SapoCycle France is created
- The first recycled soaps are produced in Mulhouse (F) – October 2018
- The Restos du Coeur receive their first delivery of recycled soaps in January 2019
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In 2019, we opened our online Donate Store
SapoCycle
Fondation SapoCycle
c/o Fondation des Fondateurs
Breitingerstrasse 35
8002 Zürich
info@sapocycle.org
© 2022 SapoCycle Foundation Switzerland.
All rights reserved. fondateurs.ch
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